Golf-iron.



J. H.- CHURCHILL. GOLF IRON.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1914.

1,128,288. Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

n SA TEN JAMES H. CHURCHILL, OF QUINCY, MASSACHUSETTS.

GOLF-IRON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed' Novembr 25, 1914; Serial No. 874,063.

Improvement in Golf-Irons, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specifi; cation, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to golf irons and has for its object to provide a golf iron with which greater accuracy in direction and increased distance in the flight of the ball may be obtained, and which can be carried through the turf in the fair green and through sand in bunkers and traps with a minimum effort on the part of the player.

The particular features of the invention will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of one form of a golf iron embodying this invention. Fig. 2, a rear elevationof the iron shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3, a plan view of another form of golf iron in an inverted position. Fig. -1, an inverted plan of a golf iron with a modification of the invention. Figs. 5, 6

and 7, sectional views of different kinds of irons embodying the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, or represent one form of golf iron, called the mashy, which may be in all respects the same as now commonly made, except that in the present instance the blade b is provided with a slot 0 between the toe l0 and heel 12 of the blade. The slot 0 is provided with an upper wall 13, which is inclined upwardly and rearwardly from at or near the front edge of the sole 14 of said blade to the rear face 15 thereof below the upper edge of the blade. The slot 0 is provided with end walls 18, 19, which are triangular or substantially so in shape, with the inclined wall 13 forming the base of the triangle and the sole'14 and rear face 15 forming the sides of the triangle.

The upper wall 13 of the slot in the blade intersects the rear face 15, and converges with the front face 20 of the blade to provide the lower portion of the blade between its toe.and heel portions with a substantially sharp or thin cutting edge 21, which enables the blade to be driven into the turf with little force or effort, because the portion of the sole of the iron at the rear of the cutting edge 21 is not present to make contact with the ground and thereby ofler resistance to the passage of the blade as it cuts through the turf. By eliminating the resistance offered by the sole as described, the blade is capable of being forced through the turf with less effort on the art of the player and with less liability 0 being de-,

flected from its proper or desired course, thereby enabling the stroke to be played with increased accuracy. Further by eliminating the greater portion of thesole of the blade as above described, the ball may be driven a greater distance with a minimum force, which is especially true of a mashy or like iron designed to elevate the ball, although it is also true of the other irons not designed to loft the ball as much as the mashy, and such as the midiron, cleik, driving iron and the like.

In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are represented sections of three irons, with the front face 20 of the blade in a vertical position, sothat the different inclinations of the wall 13 may be readily seen. Referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that the wall 13 intersects the rear face 15 of the blade nearer the sole 14 than is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 7, while the wall 13 intersects the rear face 15 of-the blade in Fig. 6 at a greater distance from the sole than in Fig. 5 and less than in Fig. 7. The iron shown in Fig. 5 may be supposed to be a cleik or driving iron, that shown in Fig 6 a midiron and that shownin Fig, 7 a

mashy.

It will be observed that in each case, the wall 13 converges with the front face 20 of the iron to form a cutting edge 21, which may be a dull cutting edge as represented or which may be a sharp cutting edge by having the inclined Wall 13 intersect the front face of the-iron. It'will also be observed by reference to Figs. 5, 6 and 7, that a cross section through the blade and intersecting the wall 13, rear face15 and front face 16 is approximately triangular in shape, with the wall 13 and rear face 15 forming the' sides and the front face 20 the base of the triangle, and that the metal of this triangular section of the blade is thickestin a plane substantially perpendicular to the front face 20 and passing through the apex of the tri- Patented Feb. 1 6, 1915 angle. As a result the center ofgravity of I the blade is raised or moved away from the sole of the iron, and it is believed that the increased distance obtained with the iron is stantially sharp'so as to form cutting edges,

it is not desired to limit the invention 1n this respect, for if desired the edgesofsaid end walls may be dulled more or less. It

will also be ,observed that portions of the sole of the blade may and preferably will be left at opposite ends of'the slot 0, so that the iron can be soled or placed upon the ground in the same manner as the irons having a full sole, and such as now commonly used, and as a result the player does not have to position the iron on the ground any different from the irons now in use.

It maybe preferred to provide a single slot o as represented in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but it is not desired to limit the invention in this respect as a plurality of shorter slots 0 may be employed as represented in Fig. 4:, wherein the blade is shown as'provided with five slots. For lofting irons such as the mashy, mashy-niblick, and niblick, it may be preferred to use a single continuous slot, although good results have been obtained with a plurality of slots like those shown in Fig. 4. In the case of the midiron, cleik and driving iron, either the single or a plurality of slots may be used, but itmay be preferred to use a single slot on account of simplicity and cheapness. V

An iron embodying this invention is particularly serviceable in playing out of the rough, as the iron can be driven into the rough turf or grass with less liability of being deflected, with the result that better direction in the flight of the ball is obtained. In playing out of sand in traps and bunkers,

the diminished resistance to the blade cutting through the sand is particularly notice- "able, with the result that the ball can be with a slot between the toe and heel of the amazes herein shown, as it is only necessary to grind or file the slot 0 so as to cut the rear edge of the sole and formthe inclined wall 13 which converges with the front face 20 and intersects the rear face of the iron, and new irons can be forged or otherwise made with the slot in them.

I have herein represented the invention in certain golf irons, but it is not desired to limit the invention to the particular irons herein shown, as it can be embodied in all golf irons.

Claims.

1. A golf iron having its blade provided blade and having its upper wall converging with the front face of the blade and inter sebting the rear face thereof.

2. A golf iron having its blade provided with a slot whose upper wall intersects the rear face of the blade, cuts the rear edge of the sole thereof .and converges with the lower edge of the front face of the blade to. form a cutting edge.

i 3. A golf iron provided with a blade having-a front face, a rear face, and an inclined wall which converges with the lower edge of the front face to form a cutting edge and which forms with said rear face a blade which at a portion of its length is substantially triangular in cross section, with the greatest thickness of metal in the blade above the cutting edge and in a plane substantially perpendicular to the front face and passing through the apex of said triangle.

4. A golf iron having its blade provided with a sole and having a slot whose upper wall intersects the rear face of the blade and converges" with the lower. edge of the front face thereof, and whose end walls are provided with sides formed by the sole and rear face of said blade. I v

5. A golf iron provided with a blade having a sole and provided with a slot whose end walls are substantially triangular in shape with the rear edge of the-sole forming the apex of the triangle.

6. A golf iron provided with a blade having a sole and provided with a slot which cuts the rear edge of said sole and converges with the lower edge of the front face of said blade.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' JAMES H. CHURCHILL.

Witnesses:

JOHN BUCKLER, J. MURPHY. 

